Of one blood: or, The hidden self

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Language
English
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Description

"Mysticism, horror, and racial identity merge fluidly in this thrilling tale… The suspense is tangible and the final reveal will leave readers reeling"—Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

From groundbreaking Black author Pauline Hopkins comes an uncanny example of classic horror, exploring identity, race, and spirituality

When medical student Reuel Briggs reluctantly attends a performance by the beautiful singer Dianthe Lusk, he can't help but fall for her. The very next day, their paths cross again when Dianthe's train crashes. To bring her back from the brink of death, Reuel draws on an eerie power he can't quite name. Soon, the two are engaged, and Reuel sets off on an archeological expedition to Africa to offset his debts before the wedding. But, in Ethiopia, unexpected danger and terror force him to confront the truth about his lineage, his power, and the disturbing history that lives in his very blood.

First serialized in Colored American Magazine in 1902, this classic fiction exemplifies Pauline Hopkins's incisive writing and interrogates issues of race, blood, and history that remain urgent today.

This edition of Hopkins's classic horror novel is presented by the Horror Writers Association and introduced by award-winning author Nisi Shawl.

Includes notes, biographical information about the author, discussion questions for classroom use, and suggested further reading.

More Details

Contributors
Hopkins, Pauline Author
Shawl, Nisi writer of introduction
ISBN
9781464215063
9781464215070
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Published Reviews

Booklist Review

Hopkins is an important figure in African American literature, and the reissue of Of One Blood, first serialized in 1902, seeks to introduce her to a new generation. The book uses elements of fantasy, adventure, and horror to examine issues facing African Americans at the turn of the century. The story follows Reuel Briggs, a Black medical student passing as a white man. One day he hears a beautiful Black singer, Dianthe, at a concert. When he next sees her, she is dying in his arms. Reuel brings her back to life using inexplicable methods, and then travels to Ethiopia to find his fortune. What he finds in the ancient city of Meroe will challenge and upend his prior knowledge of the world and his place in it. This novel reads like the pulp fiction of Edgar Rice Burroughs, but with an eye toward the African diaspora and how it connects to their descendants in America. Of One Blood recalls both classic adventure stories and more inclusive interpretations of the genre, like Nisi Shawl's Everfair (2016) and Esi Edugyan's Washington Black (2018).

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
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Publisher's Weekly Review

Mysticism, horror, and racial identity merge fluidly in this thrilling tale of love, obsession, and power, first serialized in Colored American Magazine from 1902 to 1903. Hopkins (1859--1930) takes readers on a journey from turn of the century Boston to an ancient, long-hidden Ethiopian civilization that will put readers in mind of Wakanda or El Dorado. Reuel Briggs, a white-passing, mixed-race Harvard medical student, falls in love with the enchanting, mixed-race singer, Dianthe Lusk, and in order to offer her a good life once they are married, he takes a job as a researcher on an archeological expedition to Ethiopia. With an ocean between them, Dianthe and Reuel's relationship faces seemingly insurmountable odds as they encounter dangers both at home and abroad. As Reuel's journey takes him into the heart of a lost kingdom, he learns a secret about his own identity that changes everything he thought he knew--and puts his future with Dianthe in further jeopardy. The suspense is tangible and the final reveal will leave readers reeling. This easily transcends the Victorian lost world genre to be relevant, thought-provoking, and entertaining today. (Feb.)

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Booklist Reviews

Hopkins is an important figure in African American literature, and the reissue of Of One Blood, first serialized in 1902, seeks to introduce her to a new generation. The book uses elements of fantasy, adventure, and horror to examine issues facing African Americans at the turn of the century. The story follows Reuel Briggs, a Black medical student passing as a white man. One day he hears a beautiful Black singer, Dianthe, at a concert. When he next sees her, she is dying in his arms. Reuel brings her back to life using inexplicable methods, and then travels to Ethiopia to find his fortune. What he finds in the ancient city of Meroe will challenge and upend his prior knowledge of the world and his place in it. This novel reads like the pulp fiction of Edgar Rice Burroughs, but with an eye toward the African diaspora and how it connects to their descendants in America. Of One Blood recalls both classic adventure stories and more inclusive interpretations of the genre, like Nisi Shawl's Everfair (2016) and Esi Edugyan's Washington Black (2018). Copyright 2021 Booklist Reviews.

Copyright 2021 Booklist Reviews.
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Publishers Weekly Reviews

Mysticism, horror, and racial identity merge fluidly in this thrilling tale of love, obsession, and power, first serialized in Colored American Magazine from 1902 to 1903. Hopkins (1859–1930) takes readers on a journey from turn of the century Boston to an ancient, long-hidden Ethiopian civilization that will put readers in mind of Wakanda or El Dorado. Reuel Briggs, a white-passing, mixed-race Harvard medical student, falls in love with the enchanting, mixed-race singer, Dianthe Lusk, and in order to offer her a good life once they are married, he takes a job as a researcher on an archeological expedition to Ethiopia. With an ocean between them, Dianthe and Reuel's relationship faces seemingly insurmountable odds as they encounter dangers both at home and abroad. As Reuel's journey takes him into the heart of a lost kingdom, he learns a secret about his own identity that changes everything he thought he knew—and puts his future with Dianthe in further jeopardy. The suspense is tangible and the final reveal will leave readers reeling. This easily transcends the Victorian lost world genre to be relevant, thought-provoking, and entertaining today. (Feb.)

Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly.

Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly.
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